Enlightenment Please.

[DaveK]

Couple of numptie newbie questions for you - I'm getting infamous for 'em .
1) when does a CD player become a transport?
2) what benefits would one expect, in numptie newbie terms please, from fitting an internal (Timechord ?) clock and an internal PSU to a CD player. I recognise the term 'jitter' but don't really understand what it means in terms of the quality of sound.
Thanks in advance in anticipation of your usual collective tolerance, understanding and helpful response(s).
Cheers

[The Vinyl Adventure]

i always think of a cd player as an integrated unit - like a integrated amp has both pre and power in, a cd player has both transport and dac...
so one becomes a transport when you use an external dac

someone else will have to answer the rest as i dont have a bloody clue how to describe what i think it means... (and i think im nore than likely wrong anyway)

[StanleyB]

Does the seller of the specific CD player with the additionally fitted clock make any claims or benefits tied to the clock? Or is it left to the buyer to assume potential benefits?

On a separate, but potentially related note, my DACs override the clock fitted to the source equipment.

[DaveK]

Hi Stan,
Thanks for your response, As you are probably aware my knowledge of such matters is zero so all I can do is quote you the information the seller provided, which I append in blue below. This has obviously been 'lifted' from some magazine review but it's all 'Greek' to me: -

Does the seller of the specific CD player with the additionally fitted clock make any claims or benefits tied to the clock? Or is it left to the buyer to assume potential benefits?

The Trichord Clock 2 boldly goes where the Clock 1 has gone before, but refreshes the parts it didn't reach. Hi Fi Choice - October 1994.
Trichord Research, makers of the outstanding Pulsar 1 DAC, offer an intriguing modification for CD players/transports. This is to replace the quartz crystal oscillator (a single passive component) with a high precision active clock. (Clock 1). This greatly improves sampling accuracy, reducing the jitter caused by time-domain errors between each digital pulse.
Trichord's clock modification has been available for over a year now, and has proven itself a very effective upgrade.
The Clock 2 is said to be as big an improvement over the Clock 1 as the latter was over a typical unclocked player. Given the excellence of the Clock 1 I had my doubts; but now I've heard the Clock 2 modification I'd say it's a fair claim.

Sonically, there are big gains in resolution clarity and precision.. The music sounds sharper and cleaner, while glare and harshness are much reduced. Detail and focus increase greatly, and imaging is considerably better.

The Clock 2 transformed a Marantz CD-12 from a one dimensional thin-sounding unit into something quite stunning. Unclocked, its lack of weight and solidity had been very apparent when compared to a Meridian 203 with the Clock 1, as it wasn't as precise or vivid and lacked body.

With the Clock 2 upgrade, the Marantz trounced the Meridian, giving a bigger sound stage, cleaner treble, firmer bass and more detail. The CD-12 now sounded far more focused and solid. Subtle changes of timing dynamics and tone colour registered more positively, without unpleasant glare. Trichord claim an accuracy of 5ppm (parts per million) for the Clock 2 - considerably better than a Class 1 digital output.

With this sort of precision, the Clock 2 is able to transform the sound of most CD players, from modest to high class. At £141 (now £172 or £252 with Clock PSU), it's hard to think of a better or cheaper CD upgrade.

On a separate, but potentially related note, my DACs override the clock fitted to the source equipment.

Your last sentence is relevant to my case as it is almost certain that the output from the player concerned will go straight into the mod'd 7520 and from there to either the amp and on to speakers, or from the 7520 into Line In on my PC to enable FLAC ripping.
Any advice, guidance or warnings that you may be able to offer would be greatly appreciated - I prize my 7520 very highly and would not wish to jeopardise it in any way by doing something electronically inadvisable .

[StanleyB]

The Trichord Clock 2 boldly goes where the Clock 1 has gone before, but refreshes the parts it didn't reach. Hi Fi Choice - October 1994.

Clocks for digital audio equipment has advanced since the early nineties. The average PC was about 250MHz then. Now they can manage several Gigs. That's partly because clock accuracy has improved by a considerable amount.

[leo]

Like most things, results will vary

In some cases an upgraded clock will bring quite a big performance boost, other times the iprovement is minimal and some occasions can be worse, depends on the type of CDP, its own clock, if its a 4pin XO the regulation quality etc

[NRG]

Dave, slightly off on a tanget here but why are you planning to rip to FLAC from transport to DAC to PC? You've just added two unnecessary conversion process when you don't want any. Use the CD/DVD player in the PC to perform a digital extraction direct to hard drive.....

[DaveK]

Hi again Stan,
Thanks for your prompt response, which is interesting and informative but to a numptie newbie like me it does not address the questions I raised:-

1) when does a CD player become a transport?
2) what benefits would one expect, in numptie newbie terms please, from fitting an internal (Timechord ?) clock and an internal PSU to a CD player. I recognise the term 'jitter' but don't really understand what it means in terms of the quality of sound.

Clocks for digital audio equipment has advanced since the early nineties. The average PC was about 250MHz then. Now they can manage several Gigs. That's partly because clock accuracy has improved by a considerable amount.

I have no doubt that others more knowledgeable than me will understand what you are saying but I'm afraid I don't. Are you saying that what was an expensive upgrade in the early 90s has now been superceded by 'standard' clocks fitted to more modern CD players?
Also what significance, if any, has the internal power supply fitting as I understand that the clock and power supply fittings were offered as stand alone upgrades - the buyer could choose one or the other or both - I'm just trying to increase my rather scanty knowledge base here - can you help?
Cheers,

[StanleyB]

Hi Dave, have you tried asking the seller of the equipment? Surely he should know what he is selling and what the benefits are with respect to the similar product without the added items he so prominently highlights?

[DaveK]

Dave, slightly off on a tanget here but why are you planning to rip to FLAC from transport to DAC to PC? You've just added two unnecessary conversion process when you don't want any. Use the CD/DVD player in the PC to perform a digital extraction direct to hard drive.....

Hi Neil,
Thanks for that input. I'll tell you what my logic is/was but I am already resigned to the fact that, from your comments, my logic is ill founded.
My PC is a Vaio Multi Media PC with a 'combi' drive, i.e. Matsushita UJ-846D which I assume is a Jack of all 'Trades and Master of None'. Based on this assumption my logic suggested that outputting the 1s and 0s from a purpose built player and then through the mod'd 7520 and into the PC's Line In would result in a better copy of the original 1s and 0s in the PC FLAC file - I gather that my logic is flawed because, thinking aloud, I'm going from digital to analogue to digital - not very bright on reflection - oh such a lot to learn
Is there any logic in my thought processes if I leave the 7520 out and go direct from CD player to PC Line In rather than rip direct from PC drive?
Thanks again,